UnitedHealthcare Waives Most Medical Prior Authorization Requirements for Rural Hospitals

By Elias Schisgall

UnitedHealthcare will exempt some rural medical providers from most medical prior authorization requirements as part of a push to lower costs and improve care in rural areas.

The health insurance company, a segment of UnitedHealth Group, said Monday that it will waive the medical prior authorizations, which require providers to obtain approval before insurers agree to cover certain treatments, across all its lines of business for rural providers.

The exemptions cover around 1,500 rural hospitals, including all those designated as Critical Access Hospitals, the company said.

UnitedHealthcare will also speed payments by up to 50% for those hospitals through an expansion of its Rural Payment Acceleration Pilot by the fall, adding that the program will cover both Medicaid payments and commercial insurance plans.

The company also said it will partner with health systems to support hub-and-spoke care models in rural areas, connecting regional medical providers to access points in communities.

"Rural care providers are essential to their communities yet fragile, so we welcome the chance to make meaningful investments to support their work -- and we expect to continue investing more and actively building on these initiatives," UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Tim Noel said.

The initiatives are intended to improve cash flow and financial stability for rural hospitals, the company said, adding that it intends to invest further in rural health systems.

Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 20, 2026 14:54 ET (18:54 GMT)